​Wawa Nearing Completion In Newtown; Has A Grand Opening Been Announced?

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The days are ticking down to the most anticipated opening of the year in Newtown.

Social media is buzzing as the 5,500 square foot Wawa convenience store and gas station nears completion on the heavily traveled Newtown Bypass at Lower Silver Lake Road.

While the Pennsylvania-based convenience store and gas station has not officially announced an opening date, online anticipation is growing as the store and gas station continue to take shape.

When the grand opening does take place, it will be memorable, complete with a ribbon cutting, confetti, a “Hoagies for Heroes” challenge between first responders, an appearance by Wally the Goose, free coffee all day and lots more.

Construction crews were recently seen working on top of the white canopy that will protect motorists from the weather as they are filling their vehicles with gasoline. Other crews were tending to the landscaping, working to transform the now dirt-covered site with grass and plantings.

(Jeff Werner/Patch)

The solar panels can be seen on the top of the canopy under construction. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

(Jeff Werner/Patch)

As part of an agreement reached between the township and the developer to build the store, the Newtown Wawa incorporates solar panels into its canopy to capture the energy of the sun and help power the store.

The solar panels were requested by Newtown Township Supervisor Elen Snyder who changed her vote on the project after the developer, Provco Pinegood LLC, agreed to the condition.

The solar-powered store is expected to be among the first, if not the first, in the convenience store chain to utilize solar power in its operation.

For years, the convenience store chain has had its eye on the Newtown area, the only larger community in Bucks County not served by the Southeastern Pennsylvania-based chain. The closest stores to Newtown are in Yardley Borough and Richboro.

The family-owned business based in Delaware County is known for its hoagies, freshly- brewed coffee, the “Sizzli” − a hot breakfast sandwich and favorite among morning commuters - dinner items including burgers, fries and pizza along with soups, sides and snacks, and a full line of hot, iced and frozen specialty beverages. Wawa also carries more than 6,000 items including groceries, tobacco and candy.

George Wood founded the Wawa Dairy in 1902 in Delaware County, to bottle fresh milk products from certified Guernsey cows. The Wawa Dairy produced and delivered certified Wawa milk to the doorsteps of homes throughout the Philadelphia region. Its milk and cream products were of the highest quality and received the highest accolades from physicians and consumers.

The first Wawa Food Market opened on April 16, 1964, in Folsom. By 1969, the first stores in New Jersey and Delaware opened, and Wawa Kitchens were offering foods like hamburgers and fried chicken.

In the decades since, the company has grown to become a gas station chain as well as convenience store chain. It now has more than 1,000 locations spread across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.